Electronic gaming machines (“EGMs”), otherwise known as slot machines, can be found in casinos throughout the world. EGMs accept wagers from players in exchange for the opportunity to win cash prizes. This opportunity to win is provided in conjunction with the play of an entertaining wagering game. The game is typically displayed on either a display screen or in conjunction with physical devices, such as reels, which indicate the game outcome.
Modern EGMs are equipped with several dozen, if not hundreds of individually controllable multicolor light devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs). These LEDs are often grouped together to form light bars which are molded into various areas of a housing of the EGM. The LEDs are controlled by a light controller to produce predefined light sequences in response to predefined events. The light controller can be instructed to perform light shows that correspond to various game outcomes or which correspond to an attract sequence designed to entice players to play the game on the EGM.
Modern EGMs also commonly have a speaker system designed to reproduce high quality music, voice and sound effects. The speaker system is typically connected to an audio processing device that is in communication with a central processor of the EGM. The audio processing device accesses audio files loaded into a main memory of the EGM to play sound through the speaker system. Sound is played through the speaker system in conjunction with the play of a game or an attract sequence.
Casinos arrange EGMs in banks, in which several EGMs are positioned side by side facing the same direction. Banks of EGMs which are endowed with light bars and speaker systems present an opportunity to perform banked light and sound shows. A banked light and sound show is a predefined collection of time synchronized light and sound sequences that specific EGMs within the bank perform in a synchronized manner. A synchronized banked light and sound show generally involves each EGM performing the exact same light and sound performance at the same time. However, a banked light and sound show may also involve some EGMs performing light or sound performances that are partially different from those performed by other EGMs in the bank to create an intended effect.
A banked light and sound show should be performed in such a manner as to avoid the perception by an observer that the performances of the individual EGMs are not synchronized. Banked light and sound shows that are unsynchronized can be distracting at best and annoying at worse, especially if the sound is so unsynchronized as to be discordant. Regardless of the degree of unsynchronization, a perceptibly unsynchronized banked light and sound show can leave an observer with the impression that EGM manufacturers have released an unpolished product or that the casino lacks high standards for the entertainment it provides.
These and other considerations have led to the evolution of the present disclosure.